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United States Patent 6,086,896
Sparling ,   et al. July 11, 2000
Antigenic iron repressible protein from N. meningitidis related to the hemolysin family of toxins

Abstract

An isolated, antigenic polypeptide comprises a segment having at least fifty amino acid residues. The amino acid sequence of the segment is present in N. meningitidis, and is different from, but substantially homologous with, the amino acid sequence of a segment of a member of the hemolysin family of toxins.

Inventors: Sparling; P. Frederick (Moncure, NC); Thompson; Stuart (Carrboro, NC)
Assignee: ImClone Systems Incorporated (New York, NY)
Appl. No.: 323477
Filed: October 14, 1994

Current U.S. Class: 424/250.1; 424/184.1; 424/185.1; 424/249.1; 435/7.1; 530/350
Intern'l Class: A61K 039/095; A61K 039/02; C07K 014/22; G01N 033/53
Field of Search: 424/250.1,184.1,185.1 530/350 435/69.1,69.3,7.1

References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
5141743Aug., 1992Schryvers424/92.
Foreign Patent Documents
9203467Mar., 1992WO.


Other References

Schryvers et al, Inf & Imm 56:1144-1149, 1988," Identification & Characterization of the Human Lactoferrin-Binding Protein from Neisseria meningitidis".
Conlon et al, Inf & Imm 59:587-591 1991, "Efficacy of Recombinant Leukotokin in Protection Against Pneumonic Challenge with Live Pasteurella Memolytic Al".
Thompson et al Journ. of Bact 175:811-818, 1993, "Neisseria meningitidis Produces Iron-regulated Proteins Related to the RTX Family of Exoproteins".
Black et al, Infect & Imm. 54:710-713 1986, Human Immune Response to Iron-Repersible Outer Membrane Protein of Neisseria meningitidis.
Labo et al, (Abst of Gen. Meeting of ASM, p. 31 B-37, May 1991.
Thompson et al (Abst of Gen Meeting of ASM p. 32, B-38, May 1991.
Felmlee, Dis. Abstract vol. 49, p. 1535.
Patterson, "Neisseria meningitides and Meningo Coccal Disease," in the Biologic and Clinical Basis of Infections Diseases, W.B. Saunders Company, Chapter 43 (1980).
Brener et al, Infection and Immunity 33, 59-66, 1981.
Welch et al, Infection and Immunity 42:178-186, 1986.
Black et al, Infection and Immunity 54:710-713, 1986.
Glaser, Molecular Biology 2:19-30, 1988.
Kolodrubetz et al, Infection and Immunity 57:1465-1469, 1989.

Primary Examiner: Sidberry; Hazel F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hoffmann & Baron, LLP
Parent Case Text


This application is continuation of Ser. No. 07/920,963 filed Jul. 28, 1992 abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/552,649 filed Jul. 16, 1990 abandoned, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Claims


What is claimed is:

1. An essentially pure polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID No. 2.

2. A method for detecting the presence of a polypeptide according to claim 1 in a sample suspected of containing the polypeptide, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) contacting the sample with a labelled antibody that binds to the polypeptide; and

(b) detecting the presence of the label bound to the polypeptide.

3. A method for detecting the presence of an antibody specific for the polypeptide according to claim 1 in a sample suspected of containing the antibody the method comprising the steps of:

(a) immobilizing the polypeptide on a solid support;

(b) contacting the sample with the immobilized polypeptide to bind any antibodies in the sample; and

(c) detecting the presence of the bound antibody.
Description


The present invention is directed to antigenic polypeptides isolated from Neisseria meningitidis, antibodies raised against the polypeptides, vaccines containing the polypeptides and DNA encoding the polypeptides. The polypeptides are members of the hemolysin family of toxins, a typical member of which is alpha-hemolysin from E. coli.

Bacterial pathogenesis is a complicated and often poorly understood process. Many pathogenic bacteria secrete toxins that impair the metabolism and function of animal cells. Various classes of molecules constitute such toxins.

An example of a protein toxin is found in pathogenic E. coli strains that cause extra-intestinal infections in humans. Such infections are characterized by the lysis of mammalian erythrocytes. The hemolytic activity is due to a class of toxins known as hemolysin. The class includes alpha-hemolysin and beta-hemolysin; see Welch et al, Infection and Immunity 42, 178-186 (1983).

Another protein toxin is adenylate cyclase, which is found in Bordetella pertussis and Bacillus anthracis, and which impairs functions of professional phagocytes. These bacteria are responsible for whooping cough and anthrax, respectively.

A third class of protein toxins from pathogenic bacteria are the leukotoxins, which are found in Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, which is the etiologic agent of localized juvenile periodontitis, and Pasteurella haemolytica, which kills bovine leukocytes.

Interestingly, the adenylate cyclase from B. pertussis and B. anthracis and the leukotoxins from A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. haemolytica have amino acid sequences that exhibit considerable homology with that of alpha-hemolysin from E. Coli; see Glaser et al, Molecular Biology 2, 19-30 (1988) and Kolodrubetz et al, Infection and Immunity 57, 1465-1469 (1989). Apparently, there is a class of toxins found in various genera of bacteria. The amino acid sequence of this family of cytotoxins is characterized by a highly repeated nine amino acid motif, LxGGxGNDx, wherein x represents any amino acid. For the purposes of this specification, this family of toxins will be referred to as the hemolysin family of toxins.

It should be understood that "hemolysin family of toxins" is a generic name familiar to those in the art, and is not meant to imply that all members are hemolytic, or, for that matter, cytotoxic, although most are. Membership in the family depends on the existence of homology in the amino acid sequence, as defined below. In addition to those mentioned above, homologous proteins have also been found in Serratia and Proteus, although it is not certain whether these members of the hemolysin family are, in fact, cytotoxic.

Little is known about the intriguing and sometimes fatal bacteria Neisseria meningitidis, which is responsible for spinal meningitis and septic shock. N. meningitidis and the diseases it causes have been reviewed by Paterson in "Neisseria meningitidis and Meningococcal Disease" in Biologic and Clinical Basis of Infectious Diseases, W. B. Saunders Company, Chapter 43 (1980).

The genotype of N. meningitidis is very similar to that of N. gonorrhoeae, although the phenotype is quite different. It is often important to distinguish between these Neisseria species. Immunologic speciation is often difficult due to a lack of sufficient amounts of group-specific antigens.

N. meningitidis exists as various serotypes, the prevalence of which varies with time and location. The serotypes include A, B, C, D, X, Y, Z, 29-E and W-135.

The three most important known antigenic and/or toxic constituents of N. meningitidis infections are a capsular polysaccharide, a lipopolysaccharide-endotoxin cell wall complex and a Neisseria-specific protein. The capsular polysaccharide is a major virulence factor that enables meningococci to resist phagocytosis by segmented neutrophils.

Vaccines containing meningococcal polysaccharides are used against some of the serotypes of N. meningitidis. For example, protection against the A, C, Y and W-135 serotypes is afforded by polysaccharide vaccines. Such vaccines are, however, inadequate for general protection against infection by N. meningitidis. For example, the immune response of serotypes A and C to polysaccharide vaccines is poor, especially in children under two years old, who constitute the group most susceptible to meningococcal disease. Moreover, no effective vaccine exists for serotype B, possibly because the group B capsular polysaccharide is relatively non-immunogenic.

It is apparent that much needs to be learned about the pathology of N. meningitidis. Possibly, additional understanding of this pathogen will lead to the discovery of useful vaccines in general for more serotypes than are currently available.

For example, it is not known why the colonization of the respiratory tract by N. meningitidis progresses to acute meningococcal disease and sometimes death in an occasional individual, whereas it does not do so in the great majority of others who are apparently at comparable risk. The amount of neither capsular polysaccharide nor lipopolysaccharide-endotoxin complex correlates with the seriousness of this disease. Exposure to microorganisms with antigenic constituents that cross-react with capsular polysaccharides of N. meninaitidis has been proposed as an explanation; see Paterson, id.

Other explanations are also possible. For example, cross-immunity to antigens other than capsular polysaccharides cannot be ruled out. It is interesting to note in this regard that there are no known protein toxins associated with N. meningitidis. One reason for this may be that N. meningitidis is often cultured in vitro under iron-rich conditions that do not exist in a human host. It is known, however, that some meningococcal proteins are iron-repressed and are not observed in vitro, although they are expressed in vivo. See Black et al., Infection and Immunity 54, 710-713 (1986) and Brener et al, ibid. 33, 59-66 (1981).

One problem addressed by the present invention is the discovery of antigenic polypeptides and DNA sequences that are capable of identifying N. meningitidis and distinguishing it from N. gonorrhoeae. Another problem addressed by the present invention is the discovery of proteins capable of producing antibodies effective against meningococcal disease.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other problems as will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art have been solved by providing an isolated, antigenic polypeptide comprising a segment having at least fifty amino acid residues, wherein the amino acid sequence of the segment is present in N. meninaitidis, and wherein the amino acid sequence is different from, but substantially homologous with, the amino acid sequence of a segment of a member of the hemolysin family of toxins.

Another way of defining the polypeptide is to say that it is an isolated polypeptide comprising a segment having an amino acid sequence present in N. meningitidis wherein the amino acid sequence consists of at least three repeats of the nine amino acid hemolysin consensus sequence, the hemolysin consensus sequence consisting of at least four of:

L at position 1;

G at position 3;

G at position 4;

G at position 6;

N at position 7;

D at position 8; and

X at positions 2, 5 and 9;

wherein x, independently, represents any single amino acid residue.

The invention further includes antigenic fragments of such polypeptides, antibodies raised against such polypeptides, nucleotide sequences encoding such polypeptides, and vaccines containing such polypeptides.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows the relationship to one another of the restriction fragments used to obtain the frpA gene.

FIGS. 2A-2G show the DNA and amino acid sequence of the gene for an antigenic iron repressible protein (frpA) from N. meningitidis related to the hemolysin family of toxins. See Seq. ID No. 1.

FIGS. 3A-3E show the putative amino acid sequence for the DNA sequence of FIGS. 2A-2G. See Seq. ID No. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The Polypeptide Segment

It has unexpectedly been discovered that when N. meningitidis is grown under iron-limiting conditions, a polypeptide comprising a segment having an amino acid sequence that is different from, but substantially homologous with, a segment of the hemolysin family of toxins is expressed. Monoclonal antibodies raised against the polypeptide found in N. meningitidis, such as A4.85 (see below), cross-react in Western blots with alpha-hemolysin (HlyA) produced by the hlyA gene in E. coli and adenylate cyclase produced in Bordetella pertussis.

The hemolysin family of toxins, as used herein, includes the homologous, cytotoxic or proteolytic polypeptides found in bacteria of the genera Escherichia, Serratia, Pasteurella, Proteus, Actinobacillus, and Bordetella. The family specifically includes alpha-hemolysin, leukotoxin, and adenylate cyclase.

Determinations whether two amino acid sequences are substantially homologous are, for the purpose of the present specification, based on FASTA searches in accordance with Pearson and Lipman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85, 2444-2448 (1988). A substantially homologous sequence in accordance with the present invention has at least 15% identity, preferably at least 20% identity and, more preferably, at least 25% identity in amino acid sequence when determined in accordance with the method of Pearson and Lipman, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The polypeptide of the present invention need not contain a segment that is identical to other members of the hemolysin family of toxins. The identity in accordance with the FASTA method may be as high as 90% or 95%, but when isolated from N. meningitidis normally does not exhibit identities greater than 40% or 50%.

The size of the polypeptide is not critical, as long as it contains a segment that is substantially homologous to a segment of a member of the hemolysin family of toxins. The substantially homologous segment has at least fifty amino acid residues, preferably at least 100 amino acid residues, and more preferably at least 200 amino acid residues. In this specification, the word "polypeptide" will be considered indistinguishable from words like "protein" and "peptide."

The segment of the meningococcal polypeptide that is substantially homologous to a segment of the hemolysin family of toxins contains the same nine amino acid motif that is characteristic of all the members of the hemolysin family of toxins. The consensus sequence is LxGGxGNDx, hereinafter hemolysin consensus sequence. The amino acid represented by x may be any single amino acid.

The polypeptide of the invention may be defined in terms of the hemolysin consensus sequence as well as by the substantial homology standard described above. For this purpose, a nine amino acid sequence is considered to be a hemolysin consensus sequence if it contains at least four, preferably at least five, and more preferably all six of the specifically defined amino acid residues (i.e. L-GG-GND-) at the correct position.

Referring to FIGS. 3A-3E, which, as described below, is a polypeptide isolated from N. meninaitidis, the homologous segment comprises two stretches of multiple repeats of the hemolysin consensus sequence, i.e. between amino acids 763 and 789; and between amino acids 900 and 989. There are 13 complete consensus sequences in FIGS. 3A-3E. See Seq. ID No. 2.

The polypeptides of the present invention contain segments that are present in N. meningitidis and that comprise at least three, preferably at least five, and more preferably at least ten hemolysin consensus sequences. The polypeptides of the invention may have as many as at least 21 hemolysin consensus sequences.

The polypeptide is isolated, which means that it is essentially free of other proteins, especially of other proteins from N. meningitidis. Essentially free from other proteins means that it is at least 90%, preferably at least 95% and, more preferably, at least 98% free of other proteins.

Preferably, the polypeptide is essentially pure, which means that the polypeptide is free not only of other polypeptides, but also of other materials used in the isolation and identification of the polypeptide, such as, for example, sodium dodecyl sulfate and other detergents as well as nitrocellulose paper. The polypeptide is at least 90% free, preferably at least 95% free and, more preferably, at least 98% free of such materials.

The polypeptide of the present invention is antigenic, which means that the polypeptide induces specific antibodies in a mammal. Preferably, the polypeptide is immunogenic.

The polypeptide may be the entire polypeptide as it exists in N. meningitidis, or an antigenic, preferably immunogenic, fragment of the whole polypeptide. Antigenic and/or immunogenic fragments of antigenic and/or immunogenic polypeptides may be identified by methods known in the art. Usually, the antigenic fragment will comprise at least a portion of the segment having an amino acid sequence that is different from, but homologous to, the amino acid sequence of a segment of a polypeptide that is a member of the hemolysin family of toxins, or will comprise at least a portion of the segment having at least three, preferably at least five, and more preferably at least ten hemolysin consensus sequences.

Preparation of the Polypeptide

The polypeptides of the present invention may be prepared by methods known in the art. Such methods include isolating the polypeptide directly from N. meninaitidis; isolating or synthesizing DNA encoding the polypeptide and using the DNA to produce recombinant polypeptide; and synthesizing the polypeptide from individual amino acids.

The polypeptide or DNA encoding the polypeptide may be isolated from any serotype of N. meningitidis. Such serotypes include A, B, C, D, X, Y, Z, 29-E and W-135.

Suitable sources of meningococcal strains from which the polypeptide and DNA encoding the polypeptide may be isolated are available. Such sources include the American Type Culture Collection (Bethesda, Md.) and the Neisseria Repository (NAMRU, University of California, Berkeley). Suitable strains include FAM18 and FAM20 (Dyer et al, Microbial Pathogenesis 3, 351-363 (1987)), and FAM 19. Additional meningococcal strains are described by Schryvers and Morris in Infection and Immunity 56, 1144-1149 (1988).

The polypeptide may be isolated directly from N. meningitidis by methods known in the art. First, meningococcal outer membranes are isolated and prepared by known methods. The methods described by West and Sparling in Infect. Immun. 47, 388-394 (1985) and by Schryvers and Morris in Infect. Immun. 56, 1144-1149 (1988) are suitable.

The isolated membrane proteins may be solubilized by known methods, such as the addition of detergents. Commonly used detergents include Octyl-B-Glucoside, Chaps, Zwittergent 3.14 or Triton-X. The use of detergents to enhance solubility of membrane proteins is described by Jones et al. in Finby, Solubilization and Reconstitution of Membrane Proteins: A Practical Approach, IRL Press (1986), Helenius et al. in Biochim. Biophys. Acta 415, 29 (1975) and Hjelmeland and Chrambach, Methods Enzymol. 104, 305 (1984).

Proteins are isolated from the solubilized membrane fraction by standard methods. Some suitable methods include precipitation and liquid chromatographic protocols such as ion exchange, hydrophobic interaction and gel filtration. See, for example, Methods Enzymol. 182 (Guide to Protein Chemistry, Deutscher, Ed. Section VII) 309 (1990) and Scopes, Protein Purification. Springer-Verlag, New York (1987).

Alternatively, purified material is obtained by separating the protein on preparative SDS-PAGE gels, slicing out the band of interest and electroeluting the protein from the polyacrylamide matrix by methods known in the art. The detergent SDS is removed from the protein by known methods, such as by dialysis or the use of a suitable column, such as the Extracti-Gel column from Pierce.

The polypeptide may also be produced by isolating DNA that encodes the polypeptide; cloning the DNA in a suitable host; expressing the DNA in the host; and harvesting the polypeptide.

The first DNA encoding the polypeptide of the present invention was isolated by an immunoscreening method. Such methods are described by Maniatis et al in "Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual," Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. (1982).

Briefly, monoclonal antibodies were generated against iron-stressed outer membrane proteins of N. meningitidis strain FAM20. One monoclonal antibody, A4.85, recognized several iron-regulated proteins in Western blots of the FAM20 outer membranes. A4.85 was used to isolate a clone from an FAM20 genomic library constructed in the expression vector lambda-gt11. The sequence of this clone was determined and used to clone adjacent genomic restriction fragments. The adjoined DNA sequence of this region contained a long open reading frame, which is included in FIGS. 2A-G. See Seq. ID No. 1. The amino acid sequence predicted from the nucleotide sequence of FIGS. 2A-G is shown as FIGS. 3A-E. See Seq. ID No. 2.

A FASTA homology search in accordance with Pearson and Lipman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85, 2444-2448 (1988) of the amino acid sequence deduced from the open reading frame (FIGS. 3A-E) was performed. Surprisingly, the amino acid sequence exhibited substantial homology to several members of the hemolysin family of toxins, as discussed above.

As further evidence that the polypeptide isolated from N. meningitidis is a member of the hemolysin family of toxins, the antibody raised against, and used to isolate, the polypeptide shown as FIGS. 3A-E (See Seq. ID No. 2.), A4.85, cross-reacted strongly with alpha-hemolysin (HlyA) from E. coli and with adenylate cyclase produced in Bordetella pertussis.

The immunoscreening method may be repeated in order to obtain additional fragments of the gene encoding the polypeptide of the invention or to obtain the gene encoding the entire polypeptide. It is, of course, not necessary to repeat the immunoscreening process. The entire gene or additional fragments of the gene are preferably isolated by using the known DNA sequence or fragments thereof as a probe. To do so, meningococcal DNA restriction fragments, either flanking the ends of the region already cloned or containing the entire region, are identified by Southern hybridization using labelled oligonucleotide probes derived from a previously determined sequence, such as that shown as FIGS. 2A-G, or a fragment thereof. See Seq. ID No. 1.

The DNA obtained may be amplified by methods known in the art. One suitable method is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method described by Mullis et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,195 and by Sambrook, Fritsch and Maniatis (eds) in Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, Second Edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (1989). It is convenient to amplify the clones in the lambda-gt11 vectors using lambda-gt11-specific oligomers as the amplimers (available from New England Biolabs, Beverly, Ma.).

The restriction fragments are cloned into a suitable vector, such as a plasmid or bacteriophage, and sequenced in accordance with methods known in the art. A suitable sequencing method is the dideoxy chain terminating method described by Sanger et al in Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74, 5463-5467 (1977). Suitable vectors and polymerases for sequencing are known. A suitable vector is the lambda-gt11 specific primer. (New England Biolabs, Beverly, Ma.). A suitable polymerase is Sequenase (United States Biochemical Corp., Cleveland, Ohio).

The DNA encoding the polypeptide of the invention may be used to express recombinant polypeptide in a wide variety of host cells using a wide variety of vectors. The host may be prokaryotic or eukaryotic. The DNA may be obtained from natural sources and, optionally, modified. The genes may also be synthesized in whole or in part.

Cloning vectors may comprise segments of chromosomal, non-chromosomal and synthetic DNA sequences. Some suitable prokaryotic vectors include plasmids from E. coli, such as colE1, pCR1, DBR322, pMB9, and RP4. Prokaryotic vectors also include derivatives of phage DNA such as M13, f1, and other filamentous single-stranded DNA phages.

Vectors for expressing proteins in bacteria, especially E.coli, are also known. Such vectors include pK233 (or any of the tac family of plasmids), T7, and lambda P.sub.L. Examples of vectors that express fusion proteins include the PATH vectors described by Dieckmann and Tzagoloff in J. Biol. Chem. 260, 1513-1520 (1985). These vectors contain DNA sequences that encode anthranilate synthetase (TrpE) followed by a polylinker at the carboxy terminus. Other expression vector systems are based on beta-galactosidase (pEX); maltose binding protein (pMAL); and glutathione S-transferase (pGST)--see Gene 67, 31 (1988) and Peptide Research 3, 167 (1990).

Vectors useful in yeast are available. A suitable example is the 2.mu. plasmid.

Suitable vectors for use in mammalian cells are also known. Such vectors include well-known derivatives of SV-40, adenovirus, retrovirus-derived DNA sequences and vectors derived from combination of plasmids and phage DNA.

Further eukaryotic expression vectors are known in the art (e.g., P. J. Southern and P. Berg, J. Mol. Appl. Genet. 1, 327-341 (1982); S. Subramani et al, Mol. Cell. Biol. 1, 854-864 (1981); R. J. Kaufmann and P. A. Sharp, "Amplification And Expression Of Sequences Cotransfected with A Modular Dihydrofolate Reductase Complementary DNA Gene," J. Mol. Biol. 159, 601-621 (1982); R. J. Kaufmann and P. A. Sharp, Mol. Cell. Biol. 159, 601-664 (1982); S. I. Scahill et al, "Expression And Characterization Of The Product Of A Human Immune Interferon DNA Gene In Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80, 4654-4659 (1983); G. Urlaub and L. A. Chasin, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77, 4216-4220, (1980).

Useful expression hosts include well-known prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Some suitable prokaryotic hosts include, for example, E. coli, such as E. coli SG-936, E. coli HB 101, E. coli W3110, E. coli X1776, E. coli X2282, E. coli DHI, and E. coli MRCl, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, such as Bacillus subtilis, and Streptomyces. Suitable eukaryotic cells include yeasts and other fungi, insect, animal cells, such as COS cells and CHO cells, human cells and plant cells in tissue culture.

The expression vectors useful in the present invention contain at least one expression control sequence that is operatively linked to the DNA sequence or fragment to be expressed. The control sequence is inserted in the vector in order to control and to regulate the expression of the cloned DNA sequence. Examples of useful expression control sequences are the lac system, the try system, the tac system, the trc system, major operator and promoter regions of phage lambda, the control region of f1 coat protein, the glycolytic promoters of yeast, e.g., the promoter for 3-phosphoglycerate kinase, the promoters of yeast acid phosphatase, e.g., Pho5, the promoters of the yeast alpha-mating factors, and promoters derived from polyoma, adenovirus, retrovirus, and simian virus, e.g., the early and late promoters or SV40, and other sequences known to control the expression of genes of prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells and their viruses or combinations thereof.

The recombinant polypeptide is purified by methods known in the art. Suitable methods are described F. A. O. Marston, "The Purification of Eukaryotic Polypeptides Expressed in Escherichia coli," in DNA Cloning, D. M. Glover, Ed., Vol. III, IRL Press Limited, England (1987).

The polypeptide of the invention and DNA encoding the polypeptide may also be chemically synthesized from individual amino acid residues and nucleotides, respectively, by methods known in the art. Suitable methods for synthesizing the polypeptide are described by Stuart and Young in "Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis," Second Edition, Pierce Chemical Company (1984). Suitable methods for synthesizing DNA are described by Caruthers in Science 230, 281-285 (1985).

Vaccines

A polypeptide comprising a segment having an amino acid sequence that is different from, but substantially homologous with, the amino acid sequence of a member of the hemolysin family of toxins is, unexpectedly, an antigen useful for protecting a mammal from infectious diseases caused by N. Meningitidis. The mammal is typically a human.

To be useful, the antigen is non-toxic to the mammal being immunized. If the antigen is toxic, it may be detoxified by methods known in the art. Such methods include, for example, providing antigenic, non-toxic fragments of the entire polypeptide or detoxifying a polypeptide by, for example, binding the toxin to a carrier molecule that destroys toxicity, but does not affect antigenicity. The carrier molecule is typically another polypeptide.

Preferably, an amino acid sequence of the antigen is present in a polypeptide found in N. meningitidis. The polypeptide or non-toxic, antigenic fragments useful in immunizing mammals may be made by methods known in the art, such as by isolation from N. meningitidis, production by recombinant DNA techniques, or chemical synthesis, as described above.

The length of the fragment is not critical as long as the fragment is antigenic and non-toxic. Therefore, the fragment should contain sufficient amino acid residues to define the epitope. Methods for isolating and identifying antigenic fragments from known antigenic polypeptides are described by Salfeld et al. in J. Virol. 63, 798-808 (1989) and by Isola et al. in J. Virol. 63, 2325-2334 (1989).

If the fragment defines the epitope, but is too short to be antigenic, it may be conjugated to a carrier molecule. Some suitable carrier molecules include keyhole limpet hemocyanin and bovine serum albumen. Conjugation may be carried out by methods known in the art. One such method is to combine a cysteine residue of the fragment with a cysteine residue on the carrier molecule.

The present invention further includes vaccine compositions for immunizing mammals, including humans, against infection by N. meningitidis. The vaccine comprises an immunogenic antigen as described above in a suitable carrier. Suitable carriers include any of the standard pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, such as water, phosphate buffered saline solution, and emulsions.

The vaccine may include adjuvants, such as muramyl peptides, and lymphokines, such as interferon, interleukin-1 and interleukin-6. The antigen may be adsorbed on suitable particles, such as aluminum oxide particles, or encapsulated in liposomes, as is known in the art.

The invention further includes methods of immunizing host mammals, including humans, by administering the vaccine compositions described above to mammals in need of protection from diseases caused by N. meningitidis. The vaccine comprises an immunogenic polypeptide in a form that is non-toxic to mammals. The polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that is homologous with the amino acid sequence of a member of the hemolysin family of toxins. The amino acid sequence is preferably present in N. meningitidis, and is usually found in the outer membranes of N. meningitidis. Since, however, antibodies cross-react with the polypeptide of the invention and members of the hemolysin family of toxins from other genera of bacteria, the antigen in the vaccine composition may comprise an amino acid sequence in such other genera, such as from E. coli or B. pertussis.

The vaccine may be administered to a mammal by methods known in the art. Such methods include, for example, intravenous, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, or intramuscular administration.

Antibodies

The present invention provides antibodies raised against a polypeptide of the invention. The polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that defines an epitope, and is substantially homologous with the amino acid sequence of a member of the hemolysin family of toxins. The antibodies are preferably raised against a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence that is present in N. Meningitidis, and that is different from polypeptides that are members of the hemolysin family of toxins from other genera of bacteria.

The antibodies are preferably monoclonal. Monoclonal antibodies may be produced by methods known in the art. These methods include the immunological method described by Kohler and Milstein in Nature 256, 495-497 (1975) and the recombinant DNA method described by Huse et al in Science 246, 1275-1281 (1989).

Mammals, including humans, suffering from diseases caused by infection with N. meningitidis may be treated by administering antibodies specific to a member of the hemolysin family of toxins. Antibodies raised against a member of the hemolysin family of toxins from any genera of bacteria are suitable, although antibodies raised against a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence present in N. meningitidis is preferred.

For therapeutic purposes, it is necessary for the antigenic polypeptides of the invention to produce neutralizing antibodies. Neutralizing antibodies are antibodies that significantly inhibit the growth of or kill the bacterial cells and/or significantly neutralize the toxin function of the polypeptide in vitro or in vivo. Growth of the bacteria is significantly inhibited or the toxin function of the polypeptide is significantly neutralized in vivo if the inhibition or neutralization is sufficient to prevent or reduce the symptoms of the disease of a mammal infected with the disease.

Neutralizing antibodies may also be used to produce anti-idiotypic antibodies useful as vaccines for immunizing mammals, including humans, suffering from diseases caused by infection with N. meningitidis. Anti-idiotypic antibodies are prepared in accordance with methods known in the art.

Nucleic Acid Molecules

The present invention also includes isolated nucleic acid molecules that encode any of the polypeptides of the invention described above. The nucleic acid molecule may be DNA or RNA.

The utility of the nucleic acid molecule lies in its ability to be used as a probe for detecting N. meningitidis, as explained below, or to produce a polypeptide of the invention, as explained above. The nucleic acid molecule may be prepared by methods known in the art. Suitable methods include isolating the DNA from N. Meninaitidis or synthesizing the DNA in accordance with known procedures as described above.

Probes

The present invention further provides a method of detecting the presence of N. meningitidis in a sample. The method involves use of a probe that recognizes a polypeptide that is a member of the hemolysin family of toxins, and, in particular, a member of the hemolysin family of toxins present in N. meningitidis, or a gene encoding such a polypeptide. The probe recognizes N. meningitidis if present in the sample.

The probe may be an antibody, preferably a monoclonal antibody. The antibodies may be prepared as described above.

Methods are known for detecting polypeptides with antibodies. For example, a polypeptide may be immobilized on a solid support. Immobilization of the polypeptide may occur through an immobilized first antibody specific for the polypeptide. The immobilized first antibody is incubated with a sample suspected of containing the polypeptide. If present, the polypeptide binds to the first antibody.

A second antibody, also specific for the polypeptide, binds to the immobilized polypeptide. The second antibody may be labelled by methods known in the art. Non-immobilized materials are washed away, and the presence of immobilized label indicates the presence of the polypeptide. This and other immunoassays are described by David, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,110 assigned to Hybritech, Inc., La Jolla, Calif.

The probe may also be a nucleic acid molecule that recognizes a RNA or DNA molecule that encodes a member of the hemolysin family of toxins present in N. meningitidis. Methods for determining whether a nucleic acid molecule probe recognizes a specific nucleic acid molecule in a sample are known in the art. Generally, a labelled probe that is complementary to a nucleic acid sequence suspected of being in a sample is prepared. The presence of probe hybridized to the target nucleic acid molecule indicates the presence of the nucleic acid molecule. Suitable methods are described by Schneider et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,269, which is assigned to Princeton University, and by Segev in PCT Application WO 90/01069. The Schneider et al patent and the Segev application are both licensed to ImClone Systems Inc., New York City.

The probes described above are labelled in accordance with methods known in the art. Methods for labelling antibodies have been described, for example, by Hunter and Greenwood in Nature 144, 945 (1962) and by David et al in Biochemistry 13, 1014-1021 (1974). Additional methods for labelling antibodies have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,940,475 and 3,645,090. Methods for labelling oligonucleotide probes have been described, for example, by Leary et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1983) 80:4045; Renz and Kurz, Nucl. Acids Res. (1984) 12:3435; Richardson and Gumport, Nucl. Acids Res. (1983) 11:6167; Smith et al, Nucl. Acids Res. (1985) 13:2399; and Meinkoth and Wahl, Anal. Biochem. (1984) 138:267.

The label may be radioactive. Some examples of useful radioactive labels include .sup.32 P, .sup.125 I, .sup.131 I, and .sup.3 H. Use of radioactive labels have been described in U.K. 2,034,323, U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,535, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,204.

Some examples of non-radioactive labels include enzymes, chromophors, atoms and molecules detectable by electron microscopy, and metal ions detectable by their magnetic properties.

Some useful enzymatic labels include enzymes that cause a detectable change in a substrate. Some useful enzymes and their substrates include, for example, horseradish peroxidase (pyrogallol and o-phenylenediamine), beta-galactosidase (fluorescein beta-D-galactopyranoside), and alkaline phosphatase (5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate/nitro blue tetrazolium). The use of enzymatic labels have been described in U.K. 2,019,404, EP 63,879, and by Rotman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 47, 1981-1991 (1961).

Useful chromophores include, for example, fluorescent, chemiluminescent, and bioluminescent molecules, as well as dyes. Some specific chromophores useful in the present invention include, for example, fluorescein, rhodamine, Texas red, phycoerythrin, umbelliferone, luminol.

The labels may be conjugated to the antibody or nucleotide probe by methods that are well known in the art. The labels may be directly attached through a functional group on the probe. The probe either contains or can be caused to contain such a functional group. Some examples of suitable functional groups include, for example, amino, carboxyl, sulfhydryl, maleimide, isocyanate, isothiocyanate.

The label may also be conjugated to the probe by means of a ligand attached to the probe by a method described above and a receptor for that ligand attached to the label. Any of the known ligand-receptor combinations is suitable. The biotin-avidin combination is preferred.

The polypeptide of the invention may be used to detect the presence of antibodies specific for N. meningitidis in a sample. The method comprises preparing a polypeptide containing a segment having an amino acid sequence that is substantially homologous to a member of the hemolysin family of toxins. The polypeptide may be prepared as described above. Preferably, the polypeptide comprises a segment having an amino acid sequence that is present in N. meningitidis.

The sample may, for example, be from a patient suspected of being infected with N. meningitidis. Suitable assays are known in the art, such as the standard ELISA protocol described by R. H. Kenneth, "Enzyme-Linked Antibody Assay with Cells Attached to Polyvinyl Chloride Plates" in Kenneth et al, Monoclonal Antibodies, Plenum Press, N.Y., page 376 (1981).

Briefly, plates are coated with antigenic polypeptide at a concentration sufficient to bind detectable amounts of the antibody. After incubating the plates with the polypeptide, the plates are blocked with a suitable blocking agent, such as, for example, 10% normal goat serum. The sample, such as patient sera, is added and titered to determine the endpoint. Positive and negative controls are added simultaneously to quantitate the amount of relevant antibody present in the unknown samples. Following incubation, the samples are probed with goat anti-human Ig conjugated to a suitable enzyme. The presence of anti-polypeptide antibodies in the sample is indicated by the presence of the enzyme.

Antibodies raised against polypeptides of the present invention are capable of recognizing N. meningitidis and distinguishing meningococcal cells from gonococcal cells in a sample. The A4.85 monoclonal antibody, for example, recognizes a polypeptide expressed by iron-stressed meningococcal cells. A4.85 does not, however, recognize any proteins in iron-stressed N. gonorrhoeae.

The antibodies may be labelled by known methods as described above. Assays for distinguishing iron-stressed meningococcal cells from iron-stressed gonococcal cells follow known formats, such as standard blot and ELISA formats.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

Isolation of A4.85 MAb

Bacterial outer membranes are prepared from iron-stressed cultures of Neisseria meningitidis strain FAM20 as follows. FAM20 is inoculated into chelexed defined medium (CDM, West et al, J. Bacteriology 169, 3414 (1987)). This medium allows growth only until iron stores within the bacteria have been depleted. During this time, a set of proteins that are regulated by the availability of iron become expressed. Bacteria are harvested and outer membranes are prepared as described by Dyer et al in Infection and Immunity 56, 977 (1988).

Three to five BALB/c female mice are immunized with iron-stressed FAM20 outer membranes by either the intramuscular (im) or intraperitoneal (ip) routes. With the im route, 100 .mu.g of antigen (Ag) is emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant and injected on two different sites on day zero, followed by booster doses two weeks apart with the Ag now emulsified in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. The ip route involves immunization with 100 .mu.g of Ag on days zero, 7, 14 and 28. Serum antibody levels are checked by either ELISA or Western blotting three days following the final boost to determine serum antibody levels. Mice are given a final boost ip on each of three consecutive days before the fusion. On the day of the fusion, mice are sacrificed by cervical dislocation and the spleens are removed aseptically. Spleen cells are extracted by teasing the cells out of the sac using two bent 19 ga needles. Extracted cells are resuspended to give single cell suspensions.

Mouse myeloma cells, SP2.0-AG14 (ATCC CRL 1581), that have been grown in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium/Ham's F-12 (DMEM/F12) supplemented with 15% fetal calf serum (FCS), are used as the fusion partner. Cells are mixed in a 10:1 ratio of spleen:myeloma cells and pelleted together in a 50 ml centrifuge tube. The supernatant is aspirated off leaving a dry pellet to which 1 ml of 50% polyethylene glycol (PEG) (prewarmed to 37.degree. C.) is added. The cells are gently resuspended and allowed to sit at room temperature for 2 minutes, after which 1 ml of DMEM/F12 without added sera is added and the cells gently resuspended. The cells are then further diluted and resuspended with 2, 4, 8 and 16 ml of DMEM/F12 added at two-minute intervals. The cells are then pelleted and the supernatant aspirated. Two ml of DMEM/F12 supplemented with 15% FCS is carefully added to avoid resuspension of the pellet and then incubated for one hour at 37.degree. C.

At the end of the 1 hour incubation, the suspension is diluted to a final concentration of 1.times.10.sup.6 cells/ml. This suspension is then poured into tissue culture flasks and incubated overnight. The next day an equal volume of culture media supplemented with 2X HAT (hypoxanthine, aminopterin, thymidine) components are plated out into 96-well plates with 200 .mu.l/well with 1.times.10.sup.5 spleen cells/well. Plated cells are fed every 4-5 days after the fusion by aspiration of half the media from the wells and addition of fresh 1.times.HAT media. The wells are scored for growth after 10-14 days, and growing wells are tested for presence of secreted antibody by screening the culture supernatants by either an ELISA or Western blotting. Wells that prove positive on assay are expanded for growth into 24-well culture dishes in culture media with HT supplements (no aminopterin) and re-tested. Those proving positive on re-testing are expanded further into larger tissue culture vessels and then cloned twice by limiting dilution.

A cell line (A4.85) that arose from a single mouse spleen cell was isolated. A4.85 produces a monoclonal antibody (Mab) that reacts with several protein species (70 kilodaltons to several hundred kilodaltons in mass) on a Western blot of FAM20 outer membranes, each of whose synthesis is repressed by the presence of iron in the bacterial growth medium.

Example 2A

Isolation of Genomic Clones

A. Library Construction

A library of Neisseria meningitidis strain FAM20 chromosomal DNA is constructed in the bacteriophage vector lambda-gt11 as follows. FAM20 chromosomal DNA is isolated by standard methods (Maniatis et al, 1982). The DNA is sheared by sonication to fragment sizes of approximately 300-1000 bp. Synthetic EcoRI linkers are ligated to the ends of these molecules, followed by cleavage with EcoRI restriction endonuclease to generate EcoRI restriction sites at the end of each molecule. The resulting fragments are ligated with EcoRI-cleaved lambda-gt11 DNA (Maniatis et al, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. (1982)). The ligated DNA is packaged into lambda phage heads using lambda packaging extracts (Promega Corp., Madison, Wis.), according to manufacturer's instructions.

B. Library Screening and Isolation of DNA

The library created above is screened with the A4.85 Mab to detect clones that express the epitope recognized by A4.85. 500,000 recombinant plaques from the lambda-gt11 expression library are screened by the method of Maniatis et al (1982). A pure clone reacting with the A4.85 Mab is isolated by re-plating and screening the reactive plaque twice. The meningococcal insert DNA from the pure lambda clone (lambda 4.85) is amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique using a kit from Perkin-Elmer/Cetus. The PCR-amplified DNA is cloned into the sequencing vector M13mp19 (Maniatis et al, 1982) and the DNA sequence determined by the dideoxy chain termination method of Sanger et al (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74, 5463-5467 (19877)) using the Sequenase kit (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.).

The cloned meningococcal DNA is labelled with .sup.32 P by the random primed method with a kit from Boehringer-Mannheim (Indianapolis, Ind.) and is used in Southern hybridizations (Maniatis et al, 1982) to identify DNA restriction fragments in the FAM20 chromosome adjacent to the DNA cloned in lambda 4.85. Chromosomal Sau3A I fragments of approximately 560 and 1600 bp hybridize to the cloned meningococcal DNA. FAM20 DNA is cleaved with Sau3A I and fractionated on a preparative agarose gel. Two size fractions are isolated, one of 400-700 bp and one of 1400-1800 bp.

The 560 bp Sau3A I fragment is cloned by ligating the 400-700 bp fraction of FAM20-Sau3A I fragments with BamHI-cleaved plasmid PBR322 (Maniatis et al, 1982). The desired clones of the 560 bp fragment are identified by hybridization of bacterial colonies containing recombinant plasmids with .sup.32 P-labelled lambda 4.85 insert DNA (Maniatis et al, 1982). Plasmid DNA (pUNCH201) from a pure colony hybridizing with the DNA probe is prepared and its sequence determined using Sequenase as modified for use in double-strand sequencing (Kraft et al, BioTechniques 6, 544 (1988)). Southern hybridization is used to verify that the cloned fragment is representative of the fragment intact in the FAM20 genome.

To clone the 1600 bp fragment, the ends of the 1400-1800 bp fraction of FAM20-Sau3A I fragments are made blunt by reaction with Klenow enzyme and DNA nucleotides. Synthetic EcoRI linkers are added to these molecules, followed by ligation with EcoRI-cleaved, alkaline-phosphatase-treated lambda ZAP DNA (Stratagene, LaJolla, Calif.) in accordance with technical information supplied with the lambda ZAP kit. Ligated DNA is packaged into lambda heads using Packagene lambda packaging extracts (Promega). The library of 1400-1800 bp FAM20-Sau3A I fragments is screened with a .sup.32 P-labelled oligonucleotide (SAT1), which is synthesized to correspond to DNA sequences at one end of the lambda 4.85 insert (5' GCCATTGCCACTGTAGATA 3'). A lambda ZAP plaque hybridizing with the SAT1 oligonucleotide is purified as above. The interior portion of this lambda ZAP clone (lambda ZAP202) is "excised" by the addition of helper bacteriophage. The excision results in a multicopy plasmid (pUNCH202) containing the cloned meningococcal insert. Southern hybridization is used to verify that the cloned fragment is representative of the fragment intact in the FAM20 genome. The sequence of the cloned DNA fragment is determined by double-strand sequencing as described above.

To obtain the entire DNA sequence of the gene for an antigenic iron repressible protein (frpA) from N. meningitidis related to the hemolysin family of toxins, two additional clones, pUNCH206 and pUNCH210, are isolated. These clones contain fragments flanking pUNCH201 and represent the entirety of the frpA gene.

To isolate pUNCH206, a 2.7 kilobase (kb) EcoRI to HincII fragment overlapping pUNCH201 is cloned as follows. FAM20 chromosomal DNA is digested to completion with HincII. EcoRI linkers are ligated to the ends of these fragments, which are then ligated to EcoRI-digested lambda ZAP. The desired clone is identified by hybridization with .sup.32 P-labelled pUNCH201 insert. The interior portion of this clone is "excised" by the addition of helper bacteriophage, and is designated pUNCH206. The pUNCH206 insert contains the 3' end of the frpA gene.

To obtain pUNCH210, a 4.3 kb SpeI to ClaI fragment overlapping the pUNCH206 insert is cloned as follows. FAM20 DNA is digested with SpeI and NheI, the fragments are separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis using a CHEF apparatus and are transferred to a BA-S85 membrane. (Schleicher & Schuell, Keene, N.H.).

The fragment of interest is identified by hybridization. This fragment is electrophoresed from the gel onto DE81 DEAE-cellulose paper and purified. This DNA is digested with ClaI and the ends made blunt by treatment with Klenow enzyme and DNA nucleotides. This is ligated with lambda ZAP which had been digested with EcoRI, then treated with Klenow fragment. The desired clone is identified by hybridization with .sup.32 P-labelled pUNCH210 insert. The interior portion of this clone is "excised" by the addition of helper bacteriophage, and is designated pUNCH210. The pUNCH210 insert contains the 5' end of the frpA gene.

The adjoined sequence of pUNCH210 and pUNCH206 reveals the presence of an open reading frame that contains the entirety of the cloned DNA. The DNA sequence is included in FIGS. 2A-G. See Seq. ID No. 1. The amino acid sequence predicted by the sequence contains 1115 amino acids. The putative amino acid sequence is shown as FIGS. 3A-E. See Seq. ID No. 2. The relationship to one another of the above-described restriction fragments is shown in FIG. 1.

As determined by FASTA sequence comparison searches (see above), both the DNA and the deduced polypeptide sequence from this region have a high degree of similarity with a family of hemolysin bacterial toxins. For example, the DNA sequence shown in FIGS. 2A-G (Seq. ID No. 1.) exhibits 54% identity with the cya gene (adenylate cyclase) from B. pertussis; 60% identity with the hlyA, hlyB, hlyC and hlyD gene from E. coli (hemolysin); 65% identity with hlyA, hlyB and hlyC gene (hemolysin) from E. coli; 56% identity with the leukotoxin gene from A. actinomycetemcomitans; 56% identity with the hemolysin gene from A. pleuropneumoniae; 60% identity with the leukotoxin gene from P. haemolytica; 62% identity with the A1 leukotoxin gene from P. Haemolytica; and 57% identity with protease B gene of E. chrysanthemi.

The amino acid sequence predicted from the DNA sequence exhibited 25%-28% identity with leukotoxin, 22%-28% identity with hemolysin; and 30% identity with adenylate cyclase.

Meningococcal strain FAM20 contains at least two copies of DNA that encode the polypeptides of the invention. This can be demonstrated by digesting genomic DNA with the infrequent cutters BglII, SpeI, NheI, and combinations of NheI and SpeI. Southern blots of the digested DNA separated by pulse field gradient electrophoresis reveal two major bands that hybridize under stringent conditions to gene probes containing fragments of the sequence of the gene that encodes the polypeptide of the invention.

The remainder of the gene encoding the iron-regulated polypeptide of the invention is isolated in a manner similar to that described above for isolating pUNCH201 and pUNCH202. DNA restriction fragments either flanking the ends of the region already cloned or containing the entire region are identified by Southern hybridization using oligonucleotide probes derived from previously determined DNA sequence. These fragments are cloned into either plasmid or bacteriophage vectors as described above for pUNCH201 and pUNCH202. The DNA sequence of newly cloned fragments is determined as above, and reveals when either end of the gene is reached. If the gene is isolated on a single DNA fragment, it is expressed in an in vitro assay to verify that the protein that is encoded by this gene reacts with the A4.85 Mab. If the gene is not cloned intact on a single DNA fragment, it is reconstructed through standard molecular biology techniques to yield the intact gene (Carbonetti, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 9084 (1987)).

For example, DNA fragments from one of the two copies of the structural genes coding for the polypeptide of the invention were purified from agarose gels, cloned and sequenced. FIGS. 2A-G includes the DNA sequence. See Seq. ID No. 1.

Example 2B

Western Blot and Molecular Weight

The full length polypeptide obtained from meningococcal strain FAM20 exhibits a molecular weight of 230-250 kD when subjected to Western blot analysis. Western blots may be carried out as follows:

Iron-starved whole cells of FAM20 are prepared in accordance with the method of West and Sparling, J. Bacteriol. 169, 3414-3421 (1987). The cells are washed in ice-cold Davis Minimal Medium A (Lederberg, Methods in Med. Res., 3:5 (1950)), immediately cooled on ice, and ruptured in a French pressure cell at 0.degree. C. and 20,000 psi. The resulting mixture is centrifuged for 10 minutes at 20,000 G, and the pellet solubilized in boiling SDS. The solubilized membrane proteins are separated by standard 7.5% SDS-PAGE in Laemli buffer, which was described by Laemli in Nature 227, 680-685 (1970). The proteins are transferred (16 hours, 80 .mu.A) onto Optibind nitrocellulose membranes (available from Schleicher & Schuell). The membranes are blocked for 1 hour in 5% BSA in TBS (20 mM Tris, 500 Mm NaCl, pH 7.5); rinsed for 5 minutes in TBS; incubated for 1 hour with 1:2 dilution of monoclonal antibody A4.85 (see above) in 5% BSA; washed twice for 5 minutes in TBS and 0.05% Tween 20; incubated for 1 hour in a secondary antibody (goat anti-mouse lgG alkaline phosphatase conjugate) diluted in 5% BSA, available from BioRad (dilution=1:3000) or Sigma (dilution=1:1000); washed twice for 5 minutes in TBS/Tween; washed again for 5 minutes in TBS; and developed with an alkaline phosphatase substrate comprising 45 .mu.l Nitro Blue Tetrazolin, available from Sigma (75 mg/ml); 35 .mu.l 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolylphosphate, p-tolnidine salt (50 mg/ml) in 10 ml of carbonate buffer, pH 9.8 (0.1 M NaHCO.sub.3 ; 1 mM Mgcl.sub.2).

Example 3

Assay for Antibody in Sample

A standard ELISA protocol is used to screen for the presence of antibodies against the polypeptide in proteins. Briefly, 96 well microtiter plates are coated with the antigen at concentrations varying from 50-100 ng per well in a high pH (9.6) carbonate buffer. The plates are incubated overnight at 9.degree. C. and blocked with 10% normal goat serum for one hour at 37.degree. C. Patient sera is added and titered to determine the endpoint. Control positive and negative sera is added at the same time to quantitate the amount of relevant antibody present in the unknown samples. After a 2-3 hour incubation at 37.degree. C., samples are probed with goat anti-human Ig conjugated to horseradish peroxidase. Positive samples are determined by using TMB.

The invention as claimed is enabled in accordance with the specification and readily available references and starting materials. Nevertheless, the following cell lines have been deposited in the American Type Culture Collection, Bethesda, Md. on Jul. 12, 1990 in order to facilitate the making and using of the invention:

Meningococcal cell line FAM18 (Accession Number 55071)

Meningococcal cell line FAM20 (Accession Number 55072)

Hybridoma cell line A4.85 (Accession Number HB 10504) In addition, the following brochures containing useful protocols and information are available in the file history of this specification.

"Predigested Lambda Zap/Eco RI Cloning Kit Instruction Manual," Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif. (Nov. 20, 1987);

"Gigapack Plus" (for packaging recombinant lambda phage), Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif. (Apr. 25, 1988); and

"picoBlue Immunoscreening Kit" Instruction Manual," Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif. (May 19, 1989). 

    __________________________________________________________________________
    #             SEQUENCE LISTING
    - (1) GENERAL INFORMATION:
    -    (iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 2
    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:1:
    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
    #pairs    (A) LENGTH: 3758 base
              (B) TYPE: nucleic acid
              (C) STRANDEDNESS: single
              (D) TOPOLOGY: linear
    -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)
    -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO
    -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO
    -      (v) FRAGMENT TYPE: N-terminal
    -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:
    #meningitidis ORGANISM: Neisseria
    -     (ix) FEATURE:
              (A) NAME/KEY: CDS
              (B) LOCATION: 298..3645
    -     (ix) FEATURE:
              (A) NAME/KEY: mat.sub.-- - #peptide
              (B) LOCATION: 298..3642
    -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:1:
    - TATATGTCTT TATTTGAATA TATCTTACGA TGGGGAAATA TTTATATATT TT - #ATAATAAA
      60
    - TTTTACTCAT TTGCTAATAT GTCATGGAAT ATTACTTGTA TTTTGTAGAA TT - #TTTCCATA
     120
    - TGAAAATATT CCATTTACTA TTTTTCTGAA CTTTATTAGT TTATTTTTAA TA - #TTTTTACC
     180
    - TCTTATATTT ACCATAAGAG AGCTAATTGA TTCATATTAT ATTGAGTCGA TA - #ATTAATTT
     240
    - ATTCTTAATT TTAATTCCTC ACGTTATTTT TTTAATTTAC TTGAAAGGAA AG - #CAGAT
     297
    - ATG ACA TCT GCA AAT TTT AAT ATT AAC GGT TT - #T GGA GAT GTG AAA TTA
     345
    Met Thr Ser Ala Asn Phe Asn Ile Asn Gly Ph - #e Gly Asp Val Lys Leu
    #                 15
    - ACA CCC TAT TCA CCA CTC TTG GGA TAT AAA GC - #T TGG GAT TCA TTT ATT
     393
    Thr Pro Tyr Ser Pro Leu Leu Gly Tyr Lys Al - #a Trp Asp Ser Phe Ile
    #             30
    - GGT TCT ATT CAA TCC TTA TCT GAT TTA ATC TA - #T AAT GTG GAT AAC AAT
     441
    Gly Ser Ile Gln Ser Leu Ser Asp Leu Ile Ty - #r Asn Val Asp Asn Asn
    #         45
    - AGA AAT AAA ATG GAA ATT ACT GTT AAT AAT GC - #T ATC CAA GCT GCA GAT
     489
    Arg Asn Lys Met Glu Ile Thr Val Asn Asn Al - #a Ile Gln Ala Ala Asp
    #     60
    - AGC TTT TTA AGC AGT ATT GGA AGA GAT AAC AA - #A ATA ACA AAT ACT GCT
     537
    Ser Phe Leu Ser Ser Ile Gly Arg Asp Asn Ly - #s Ile Thr Asn Thr Ala
    # 80
    - TCT TTA CTT GCA TCC CTC GAT AAC ATT TTT TT - #A AAT TTA AGA AAT GTA
     585
    Ser Leu Leu Ala Ser Leu Asp Asn Ile Phe Le - #u Asn Leu Arg Asn Val
    #                 95
    - TCT CGA GAT ATA CGA GAA ACA GGA AAA TTT AA - #A CCT AAT GAT ATT CAA
     633
    Ser Arg Asp Ile Arg Glu Thr Gly Lys Phe Ly - #s Pro Asn Asp Ile Gln
    #           110
    - CAA GCA ATT GGT GAT ATA TTC ATT GCT GCT GG - #T GAT GGA TTA CAA TAT
     681
    Gln Ala Ile Gly Asp Ile Phe Ile Ala Ala Gl - #y Asp Gly Leu Gln Tyr
    #       125
    - ATA AAA CAA CAA ACA GAG GCG ATG GCT CAA AG - #C AAA TTC TTA CCA ACT
     729
    Ile Lys Gln Gln Thr Glu Ala Met Ala Gln Se - #r Lys Phe Leu Pro Thr
    #   140
    - AAA TTA AAA ACT GGT TTA AAT GAT GTC CTT AA - #T TCT AGA ATG CTA AAA
     777
    Lys Leu Lys Thr Gly Leu Asn Asp Val Leu As - #n Ser Arg Met Leu Lys
    145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -
    #60
    - TCC TCT ACT GTT TTA CAG CAT GAA TTG AAT TA - #T TTG GGA TTT AAA ATA
     825
    Ser Ser Thr Val Leu Gln His Glu Leu Asn Ty - #r Leu Gly Phe Lys Ile
    #               175
    - AAG GAT TAT GGA AAC GAG AGG CTT GGC GAA TC - #T ATA ATG AAT ATA GAT
     873
    Lys Asp Tyr Gly Asn Glu Arg Leu Gly Glu Se - #r Ile Met Asn Ile Asp
    #           190
    - GAT TTT ACA CCA AGT AAG ATA GCA AAC TTT TT - #T GCG GAT CCT GAT ACA
     921
    Asp Phe Thr Pro Ser Lys Ile Ala Asn Phe Ph - #e Ala Asp Pro Asp Thr
    #       205
    - TAC AGC AAT GTA TTA GAA GAA GTA TCT AGG TT - #T ATA TAT TCC TTA GTT
     969
    Tyr Ser Asn Val Leu Glu Glu Val Ser Arg Ph - #e Ile Tyr Ser Leu Val
    #   220
    - CCT GAT GAT GCA AAC CCT TGG AAA GGG GGC GA - #A GAT TAT ATT GGA CGA
    1017
    Pro Asp Asp Ala Asn Pro Trp Lys Gly Gly Gl - #u Asp Tyr Ile Gly Arg
    225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -
    #40
    - GGG ATA AGT GAA TGG GGA GAG TTA CTG GAA AA - #A TGG TAT AAA CAA GAT
    1065
    Gly Ile Ser Glu Trp Gly Glu Leu Leu Glu Ly - #s Trp Tyr Lys Gln Asp
    #               255
    - TTT CTC CCT TAT CTT GAA AAA GAA TGG GAC CA - #A TTT CCG AAA TTT GAA
    1113
    Phe Leu Pro Tyr Leu Glu Lys Glu Trp Asp Gl - #n Phe Pro Lys Phe Glu
    #           270
    - GAT TGG CTG CCT GAA TTC CCT GAA TGG GCA AG - #A GAG TGG TTG AAA TTA
    1161
    Asp Trp Leu Pro Glu Phe Pro Glu Trp Ala Ar - #g Glu Trp Leu Lys Leu
    #       285
    - GAT CCC AAA CGT TCA GGC AAA TAT CAT GTC TA - #C GAC CCC CTC GCC CTA
    1209
    Asp Pro Lys Arg Ser Gly Lys Tyr His Val Ty - #r Asp Pro Leu Ala Leu
    #   300
    - GAT CTA GAC GGC GAC GGT ATA GAA ACC GTT GC - #T GCC AAA GGC TTT GCA
    1257
    Asp Leu Asp Gly Asp Gly Ile Glu Thr Val Al - #a Ala Lys Gly Phe Ala
    305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                 3 -
    #20
    - GGT GCA TTG TTC GAC CAC CGC AAT CAA GGC AT - #C CGC ACC GCC ACC GGT
    1305
    Gly Ala Leu Phe Asp His Arg Asn Gln Gly Il - #e Arg Thr Ala Thr Gly
    #               335
    - TGG GTT TCT GCC GAT GAC GGT TTA CTC GTC CG - #C GAT TTG AAC GGC AAC
    1353
    Trp Val Ser Ala Asp Asp Gly Leu Leu Val Ar - #g Asp Leu Asn Gly Asn
    #           350
    - GGC ATC ATC GAC AAC GGC GCG GAA CTC TTC GG - #C GAC AAC ACC AAA CTG
    1401
    Gly Ile Ile Asp Asn Gly Ala Glu Leu Phe Gl - #y Asp Asn Thr Lys Leu
    #       365
    - GCA GAC GGT TCT TTT GCC AAA CAC GGC TAT GC - #A GCT TTG GCC GAA TTG
    1449
    Ala Asp Gly Ser Phe Ala Lys His Gly Tyr Al - #a Ala Leu Ala Glu Leu
    #   380
    - GAT TCA AAC GGC GAC AAC ATC ATC AAC GCG GC - #A GAC GCC GCA TTC CAA
    1497
    Asp Ser Asn Gly Asp Asn Ile Ile Asn Ala Al - #a Asp Ala Ala Phe Gln
    385                 3 - #90                 3 - #95                 4 -
    #00
    - ACC CTG CGT GTA TGG CAG GAT CTC AAC CAG GA - #C GGC ATT TCC CAA GCT
    1545
    Thr Leu Arg Val Trp Gln Asp Leu Asn Gln As - #p Gly Ile Ser Gln Ala
    #               415
    - AAT GAA TTG CGT ACC CTT GAA GAA TTG GGT AT - #C CAA TCT TTG GAT CTC
    1593
    Asn Glu Leu Arg Thr Leu Glu Glu Leu Gly Il - #e Gln Ser Leu Asp Leu
    #           430
    - GCC TAT AAA GAT GTA AAT AAA AAT CTC GGT AA - #C GGT AAC ACT TTG GCT
    1641
    Ala Tyr Lys Asp Val Asn Lys Asn Leu Gly As - #n Gly Asn Thr Leu Ala
    #       445
    - CAG CAA GGC AGC TAT ACC AAA ACA GAC GGT AC - #A ACC GCA AAA ATG GGG
    1689
    Gln Gln Gly Ser Tyr Thr Lys Thr Asp Gly Th - #r Thr Ala Lys Met Gly
    #   460
    - GAT TTA CTT TTA GCA GCC GAC AAT CTG CAC AG - #C CGC TTC AAA GAC AAA
    1737
    Asp Leu Leu Leu Ala Ala Asp Asn Leu His Se - #r Arg Phe Lys Asp Lys
    465                 4 - #70                 4 - #75                 4 -
    #80
    - GTG GAA CTC ACT GCC GAA CAG GCA AAA GCC GC - #C AAT CTT GCG GGC ATC
    1785
    Val Glu Leu Thr Ala Glu Gln Ala Lys Ala Al - #a Asn Leu Ala Gly Ile
    #               495
    - GGC CGT CTG CGC GAT TTG CGC GAA GCT GCC GC - #A TTG TCC GGC GAT TTG
    1833
    Gly Arg Leu Arg Asp Leu Arg Glu Ala Ala Al - #a Leu Ser Gly Asp Leu
    #           510
    - GCC AAT ATG CTG AAA GCT TAT TCT GCC GCC GA - #A ACT AAA GAA GCA CAG
    1881
    Ala Asn Met Leu Lys Ala Tyr Ser Ala Ala Gl - #u Thr Lys Glu Ala Gln
    #       525
    - TTG GCA TTG TTA GAT AAT TTG ATT CAC AAA TG - #G GCG GAA ACC GAT TCG
    1929
    Leu Ala Leu Leu Asp Asn Leu Ile His Lys Tr - #p Ala Glu Thr Asp Ser
    #   540
    - AAC TGG GGC AAA AAA TCG CCA ATG CGA CTT TC - #A ACC GAT TGG ACG CAA
    1977
    Asn Trp Gly Lys Lys Ser Pro Met Arg Leu Se - #r Thr Asp Trp Thr Gln
    545                 5 - #50                 5 - #55                 5 -
    #60
    - ACG GCT AAT GAA GGT ATT GCA CTG ACA CCA TC - #C CAA GTA GCA CAA CTA
    2025
    Thr Ala Asn Glu Gly Ile Ala Leu Thr Pro Se - #r Gln Val Ala Gln Leu
    #               575
    - AAA AAG AAC GCT TTA GTT TCC CTT TCT GAT AA - #A GCT AAA GCA GCT ATT
    2073
    Lys Lys Asn Ala Leu Val Ser Leu Ser Asp Ly - #s Ala Lys Ala Ala Ile
    #           590
    - GAC GCC GCC CGC GAC CGC ATT GCC GTG CTT GA - #T GCC TAC ACG GGG CAG
    2121
    Asp Ala Ala Arg Asp Arg Ile Ala Val Leu As - #p Ala Tyr Thr Gly Gln
    #       605
    - GAT TCC AGC ACA CTC TAT TAC ATG AGC GAA GA - #A GAC GCG CTT AAT ATC
    2169
    Asp Ser Ser Thr Leu Tyr Tyr Met Ser Glu Gl - #u Asp Ala Leu Asn Ile
    #   620
    - GTC AAA GTA ACC AAC GAT ACA TAC GAC CAT CT - #C GCC AAA AAC ATC TAC
    2217
    Val Lys Val Thr Asn Asp Thr Tyr Asp His Le - #u Ala Lys Asn Ile Tyr
    625                 6 - #30                 6 - #35                 6 -
    #40
    - CAA AAC CTG TTG TTC CAA ACC CGT TTG CAG CC - #A TAT TTG AAT CAA ATC
    2265
    Gln Asn Leu Leu Phe Gln Thr Arg Leu Gln Pr - #o Tyr Leu Asn Gln Ile
    #               655
    - AGT TTC AAA ATG GAA AAT GAT ACG TTC ACT TT - #G GAT TTT AGT GGT CTT
    2313
    Ser Phe Lys Met Glu Asn Asp Thr Phe Thr Le - #u Asp Phe Ser Gly Leu
    #           670
    - GTT CAA GCA TTT AAC CAT GTC AAA GAA ACT AA - #T CCG CAA AAA GCT TTT
    2361
    Val Gln Ala Phe Asn His Val Lys Glu Thr As - #n Pro Gln Lys Ala Phe
    #       685
    - GTG GAT TTG GCC GAG ATG CTT GCA TAT GGC GA - #A CTT CGT TCT TGG TAT
    2409
    Val Asp Leu Ala Glu Met Leu Ala Tyr Gly Gl - #u Leu Arg Ser Trp Tyr
    #   700
    - GAA GGC CGA AGA CTA ATG GCC GAT TAT GTG GA - #G GAG GCA AAA AAA GCA
    2457
    Glu Gly Arg Arg Leu Met Ala Asp Tyr Val Gl - #u Glu Ala Lys Lys Ala
    705                 7 - #10                 7 - #15                 7 -
    #20
    - GGT AAA TTT GAA GAT TAC CAG AAA GTG TTG GG - #T CAG GAG ACC GTT GCA
    2505
    Gly Lys Phe Glu Asp Tyr Gln Lys Val Leu Gl - #y Gln Glu Thr Val Ala
    #               735
    - TTA TTA GCT AAA ACA TCG GGT ACG CAA GCA GA - #T GAT ATC CTG CAA AAT
    2553
    Leu Leu Ala Lys Thr Ser Gly Thr Gln Ala As - #p Asp Ile Leu Gln Asn
    #           750
    - GTA GGC TTT GGT CAT AAT AAA AAT GTT TCT TT - #A TAT GGT AAT GAC GGC
    2601
    Val Gly Phe Gly His Asn Lys Asn Val Ser Le - #u Tyr Gly Asn Asp Gly
    #       765
    - AAC GAC ACT CTA ATC GGC GGT GCA GGC AAT GA - #T TAC TTG GAG GGC GGC
    2649
    Asn Asp Thr Leu Ile Gly Gly Ala Gly Asn As - #p Tyr Leu Glu Gly Gly
    #   780
    - AGC GGT TCG GAT ACT TAT GTC TTC GGC AAA GG - #C TTC GGT CAG GAT ACG
    2697
    Ser Gly Ser Asp Thr Tyr Val Phe Gly Lys Gl - #y Phe Gly Gln Asp Thr
    785                 7 - #90                 7 - #95                 8 -
    #00
    - GTC TAT AAT TAC GAC TAC GCT ACC GGA CGC AA - #A GAC ATC ATC CGC TTT
    2745
    Val Tyr Asn Tyr Asp Tyr Ala Thr Gly Arg Ly - #s Asp Ile Ile Arg Phe
    #               815
    - ACC GAC GGT ATT ACA GCC GAT ATG CTG ACT TT - #T ACC CGA GAG GGC AAC
    2793
    Thr Asp Gly Ile Thr Ala Asp Met Leu Thr Ph - #e Thr Arg Glu Gly Asn
    #           830
    - CAT CTT CTT ATC AAG GCA AAA GAC GAC AGT GG - #A CAA GTG ACT GTT CAG
    2841
    His Leu Leu Ile Lys Ala Lys Asp Asp Ser Gl - #y Gln Val Thr Val Gln
    #       845
    - TCC TAT TTC CAG AAC GAT GGC TCA GGT GCT TA - #C CGT ATC GAT GAG ATT



    2889
    Ser Tyr Phe Gln Asn Asp Gly Ser Gly Ala Ty - #r Arg Ile Asp Glu Ile
    #   860
    - CAT TTC GAT AAC GGC AAA GTA CTG GAT GTT GC - #C ACT GTC AAA GAA CTG
    2937
    His Phe Asp Asn Gly Lys Val Leu Asp Val Al - #a Thr Val Lys Glu Leu
    865                 8 - #70                 8 - #75                 8 -
    #80
    - GTA CAG CAA TCC ACC GAC GGT TCG GAC AGA TT - #G TAT GCC TAC CAA TCC
    2985
    Val Gln Gln Ser Thr Asp Gly Ser Asp Arg Le - #u Tyr Ala Tyr Gln Ser
    #               895
    - GGA AGT ACC TTA AAT GGC GGA TTG GGC GAT GA - #C TAT CTG TAC GGT GCC
    3033
    Gly Ser Thr Leu Asn Gly Gly Leu Gly Asp As - #p Tyr Leu Tyr Gly Ala
    #           910
    - GAC GGG AAT GAC CTG CTG AAT GGT GAT GCA GG - #C AAC GAC AGT ATC TAC
    3081
    Asp Gly Asn Asp Leu Leu Asn Gly Asp Ala Gl - #y Asn Asp Ser Ile Tyr
    #       925
    - AGT GGC AAT GGC AAT GAT ACG CTC GAT GGA GG - #A GAA GGC AAC GAC GCC
    3129
    Ser Gly Asn Gly Asn Asp Thr Leu Asp Gly Gl - #y Glu Gly Asn Asp Ala
    #   940
    - CTG TAC GGC TAT AAT GGT AAC GAT GCA CTG AA - #T GGT GGC GAA GGC AAT
    3177
    Leu Tyr Gly Tyr Asn Gly Asn Asp Ala Leu As - #n Gly Gly Glu Gly Asn
    945                 9 - #50                 9 - #55                 9 -
    #60
    - GAT CAT TTG AAC GGC GAA GAC GGT AAC GAC AC - #T CTA ATC GGC GGT GCA
    3225
    Asp His Leu Asn Gly Glu Asp Gly Asn Asp Th - #r Leu Ile Gly Gly Ala
    #               975
    - GGC AAT GAT TAC TTG GAG GGC GGC AGC GGT TC - #G GAT ACT TAT GTC TTC
    3273
    Gly Asn Asp Tyr Leu Glu Gly Gly Ser Gly Se - #r Asp Thr Tyr Val Phe
    #           990
    - GGC GAA GGC TTC GGT CAG GAT ACG GTC TAT AA - #T TAC CAT GTG GAT AAA
    3321
    Gly Glu Gly Phe Gly Gln Asp Thr Val Tyr As - #n Tyr His Val Asp Lys
    #      10050
    - AAC TCT GAC ACT ATG CAC TTT AAA GGA TTT AA - #A GCA GCA GAT GTT CAT
    3369
    Asn Ser Asp Thr Met His Phe Lys Gly Phe Ly - #s Ala Ala Asp Val His
    #  10205
    - TTT ATC CGT TCC GGA AGT GAT TTG GTG CTT AG - #C GCT TCT GAA CAA GAC
    3417
    Phe Ile Arg Ser Gly Ser Asp Leu Val Leu Se - #r Ala Ser Glu Gln Asp
    #               10401030 - #                1035
    - AAC GTA CGT ATT TCC GGA TTC TTC TAT GGT GA - #A AAC CAT CGT GTA GAT
    3465
    Asn Val Arg Ile Ser Gly Phe Phe Tyr Gly Gl - #u Asn His Arg Val Asp
    #              10550
    - ACA TTT GTC TTT GAT GAT GCA GCT ATC AGT AA - #T CCA GAT TTT GCC AAG
    3513
    Thr Phe Val Phe Asp Asp Ala Ala Ile Ser As - #n Pro Asp Phe Ala Lys
    #          10705
    - TAT ATT AAT GCT GGC AAT AAT TTG GTA CAG TC - #T ATG TCT GTG TTC GGT
    3561
    Tyr Ile Asn Ala Gly Asn Asn Leu Val Gln Se - #r Met Ser Val Phe Gly
    #      10850
    - TCT AAT ACT GCT GCG ACA GGA GGA AAT GTG GA - #T GCC AAT ATA CAA TCC
    3609
    Ser Asn Thr Ala Ala Thr Gly Gly Asn Val As - #p Ala Asn Ile Gln Ser
    #  11005
    - GTA CAG CAG CCG TTA TTG GTA ACG CCA TCT GC - #A TAAGGAGCCT AATCACATTC
    3662
    Val Gln Gln Pro Leu Leu Val Thr Pro Ser Al - #a
    1105                1110 - #                1115
    - ATGGCTTAAA CTGAAAAACA GCAATCAAGT TTATTTTGAT TGCTGTTTTT CT - #TAATATTG
    3722
    #     3758         CTTT GCAAAAATAG TCTGTT
    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:2:
    -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
    #acids    (A) LENGTH: 1115 amino
              (B) TYPE: amino acid
              (D) TOPOLOGY: linear
    -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein
    -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:2:
    - Met Thr Ser Ala Asn Phe Asn Ile Asn Gly Ph - #e Gly Asp Val Lys Leu
    #                 15
    - Thr Pro Tyr Ser Pro Leu Leu Gly Tyr Lys Al - #a Trp Asp Ser Phe Ile
    #             30
    - Gly Ser Ile Gln Ser Leu Ser Asp Leu Ile Ty - #r Asn Val Asp Asn Asn
    #         45
    - Arg Asn Lys Met Glu Ile Thr Val Asn Asn Al - #a Ile Gln Ala Ala Asp
    #     60
    - Ser Phe Leu Ser Ser Ile Gly Arg Asp Asn Ly - #s Ile Thr Asn Thr Ala
    # 80
    - Ser Leu Leu Ala Ser Leu Asp Asn Ile Phe Le - #u Asn Leu Arg Asn Val
    #                 95
    - Ser Arg Asp Ile Arg Glu Thr Gly Lys Phe Ly - #s Pro Asn Asp Ile Gln
    #           110
    - Gln Ala Ile Gly Asp Ile Phe Ile Ala Ala Gl - #y Asp Gly Leu Gln Tyr
    #       125
    - Ile Lys Gln Gln Thr Glu Ala Met Ala Gln Se - #r Lys Phe Leu Pro Thr
    #   140
    - Lys Leu Lys Thr Gly Leu Asn Asp Val Leu As - #n Ser Arg Met Leu Lys
    145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -
    #60
    - Ser Ser Thr Val Leu Gln His Glu Leu Asn Ty - #r Leu Gly Phe Lys Ile
    #               175
    - Lys Asp Tyr Gly Asn Glu Arg Leu Gly Glu Se - #r Ile Met Asn Ile Asp
    #           190
    - Asp Phe Thr Pro Ser Lys Ile Ala Asn Phe Ph - #e Ala Asp Pro Asp Thr
    #       205
    - Tyr Ser Asn Val Leu Glu Glu Val Ser Arg Ph - #e Ile Tyr Ser Leu Val
    #   220
    - Pro Asp Asp Ala Asn Pro Trp Lys Gly Gly Gl - #u Asp Tyr Ile Gly Arg
    225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -
    #40
    - Gly Ile Ser Glu Trp Gly Glu Leu Leu Glu Ly - #s Trp Tyr Lys Gln Asp
    #               255
    - Phe Leu Pro Tyr Leu Glu Lys Glu Trp Asp Gl - #n Phe Pro Lys Phe Glu
    #           270
    - Asp Trp Leu Pro Glu Phe Pro Glu Trp Ala Ar - #g Glu Trp Leu Lys Leu
    #       285
    - Asp Pro Lys Arg Ser Gly Lys Tyr His Val Ty - #r Asp Pro Leu Ala Leu
    #   300
    - Asp Leu Asp Gly Asp Gly Ile Glu Thr Val Al - #a Ala Lys Gly Phe Ala
    305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                 3 -
    #20
    - Gly Ala Leu Phe Asp His Arg Asn Gln Gly Il - #e Arg Thr Ala Thr Gly
    #               335
    - Trp Val Ser Ala Asp Asp Gly Leu Leu Val Ar - #g Asp Leu Asn Gly Asn
    #           350
    - Gly Ile Ile Asp Asn Gly Ala Glu Leu Phe Gl - #y Asp Asn Thr Lys Leu
    #       365
    - Ala Asp Gly Ser Phe Ala Lys His Gly Tyr Al - #a Ala Leu Ala Glu Leu
    #   380
    - Asp Ser Asn Gly Asp Asn Ile Ile Asn Ala Al - #a Asp Ala Ala Phe Gln
    385                 3 - #90                 3 - #95                 4 -
    #00
    - Thr Leu Arg Val Trp Gln Asp Leu Asn Gln As - #p Gly Ile Ser Gln Ala
    #               415
    - Asn Glu Leu Arg Thr Leu Glu Glu Leu Gly Il - #e Gln Ser Leu Asp Leu
    #           430
    - Ala Tyr Lys Asp Val Asn Lys Asn Leu Gly As - #n Gly Asn Thr Leu Ala
    #       445
    - Gln Gln Gly Ser Tyr Thr Lys Thr Asp Gly Th - #r Thr Ala Lys Met Gly
    #   460
    - Asp Leu Leu Leu Ala Ala Asp Asn Leu His Se - #r Arg Phe Lys Asp Lys
    465                 4 - #70                 4 - #75                 4 -
    #80
    - Val Glu Leu Thr Ala Glu Gln Ala Lys Ala Al - #a Asn Leu Ala Gly Ile
    #               495
    - Gly Arg Leu Arg Asp Leu Arg Glu Ala Ala Al - #a Leu Ser Gly Asp Leu
    #           510
    - Ala Asn Met Leu Lys Ala Tyr Ser Ala Ala Gl - #u Thr Lys Glu Ala Gln
    #       525
    - Leu Ala Leu Leu Asp Asn Leu Ile His Lys Tr - #p Ala Glu Thr Asp Ser
    #   540
    - Asn Trp Gly Lys Lys Ser Pro Met Arg Leu Se - #r Thr Asp Trp Thr Gln
    545                 5 - #50                 5 - #55                 5 -
    #60
    - Thr Ala Asn Glu Gly Ile Ala Leu Thr Pro Se - #r Gln Val Ala Gln Leu
    #               575
    - Lys Lys Asn Ala Leu Val Ser Leu Ser Asp Ly - #s Ala Lys Ala Ala Ile
    #           590
    - Asp Ala Ala Arg Asp Arg Ile Ala Val Leu As - #p Ala Tyr Thr Gly Gln
    #       605
    - Asp Ser Ser Thr Leu Tyr Tyr Met Ser Glu Gl - #u Asp Ala Leu Asn Ile
    #   620
    - Val Lys Val Thr Asn Asp Thr Tyr Asp His Le - #u Ala Lys Asn Ile Tyr
    625                 6 - #30                 6 - #35                 6 -
    #40
    - Gln Asn Leu Leu Phe Gln Thr Arg Leu Gln Pr - #o Tyr Leu Asn Gln Ile
    #               655
    - Ser Phe Lys Met Glu Asn Asp Thr Phe Thr Le - #u Asp Phe Ser Gly Leu
    #           670
    - Val Gln Ala Phe Asn His Val Lys Glu Thr As - #n Pro Gln Lys Ala Phe
    #       685
    - Val Asp Leu Ala Glu Met Leu Ala Tyr Gly Gl - #u Leu Arg Ser Trp Tyr
    #   700
    - Glu Gly Arg Arg Leu Met Ala Asp Tyr Val Gl - #u Glu Ala Lys Lys Ala
    705                 7 - #10                 7 - #15                 7 -
    #20
    - Gly Lys Phe Glu Asp Tyr Gln Lys Val Leu Gl - #y Gln Glu Thr Val Ala
    #               735
    - Leu Leu Ala Lys Thr Ser Gly Thr Gln Ala As - #p Asp Ile Leu Gln Asn
    #           750
    - Val Gly Phe Gly His Asn Lys Asn Val Ser Le - #u Tyr Gly Asn Asp Gly
    #       765
    - Asn Asp Thr Leu Ile Gly Gly Ala Gly Asn As - #p Tyr Leu Glu Gly Gly
    #   780
    - Ser Gly Ser Asp Thr Tyr Val Phe Gly Lys Gl - #y Phe Gly Gln Asp Thr
    785                 7 - #90                 7 - #95                 8 -
    #00
    - Val Tyr Asn Tyr Asp Tyr Ala Thr Gly Arg Ly - #s Asp Ile Ile Arg Phe
    #               815
    - Thr Asp Gly Ile Thr Ala Asp Met Leu Thr Ph - #e Thr Arg Glu Gly Asn
    #           830
    - His Leu Leu Ile Lys Ala Lys Asp Asp Ser Gl - #y Gln Val Thr Val Gln
    #       845
    - Ser Tyr Phe Gln Asn Asp Gly Ser Gly Ala Ty - #r Arg Ile Asp Glu Ile
    #   860
    - His Phe Asp Asn Gly Lys Val Leu Asp Val Al - #a Thr Val Lys Glu Leu
    865                 8 - #70                 8 - #75                 8 -
    #80
    - Val Gln Gln Ser Thr Asp Gly Ser Asp Arg Le - #u Tyr Ala Tyr Gln Ser
    #               895
    - Gly Ser Thr Leu Asn Gly Gly Leu Gly Asp As - #p Tyr Leu Tyr Gly Ala
    #           910
    - Asp Gly Asn Asp Leu Leu Asn Gly Asp Ala Gl - #y Asn Asp Ser Ile Tyr
    #       925
    - Ser Gly Asn Gly Asn Asp Thr Leu Asp Gly Gl - #y Glu Gly Asn Asp Ala
    #   940
    - Leu Tyr Gly Tyr Asn Gly Asn Asp Ala Leu As - #n Gly Gly Glu Gly Asn
    945                 9 - #50                 9 - #55                 9 -
    #60
    - Asp His Leu Asn Gly Glu Asp Gly Asn Asp Th - #r Leu Ile Gly Gly Ala
    #               975
    - Gly Asn Asp Tyr Leu Glu Gly Gly Ser Gly Se - #r Asp Thr Tyr Val Phe
    #           990
    - Gly Glu Gly Phe Gly Gln Asp Thr Val Tyr As - #n Tyr His Val Asp Lys
    #      10050
    - Asn Ser Asp Thr Met His Phe Lys Gly Phe Ly - #s Ala Ala Asp Val His
    #  10205
    - Phe Ile Arg Ser Gly Ser Asp Leu Val Leu Se - #r Ala Ser Glu Gln Asp
    #               10401030 - #                1035
    - Asn Val Arg Ile Ser Gly Phe Phe Tyr Gly Gl - #u Asn His Arg Val Asp
    #              10550
    - Thr Phe Val Phe Asp Asp Ala Ala Ile Ser As - #n Pro Asp Phe Ala Lys
    #          10705
    - Tyr Ile Asn Ala Gly Asn Asn Leu Val Gln Se - #r Met Ser Val Phe Gly
    #      10850
    - Ser Asn Thr Ala Ala Thr Gly Gly Asn Val As - #p Ala Asn Ile Gln Ser
    #  11005
    - Val Gln Gln Pro Leu Leu Val Thr Pro Ser Al - #a
    1105                1110 - #                1115
    __________________________________________________________________________


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